A 4.99% council tax rise is proposed by a Cumbrian council for the next financial year.
Westmorland & Furness Council cabinet members said it had been forced to launch its annual budget consultation despite the Government not telling it what cash it will be getting from Whitehall.
The cabinet said it had to launch the consultation to meet its legal requirements, but members feared it could be facing large funding cuts which would have significant impact on its services.
Cllr Andrew Jarvis, Westmorland and Furness Council’s cabinet member for finance, said: “We feel we have had no choice but to launch our budget consultation to allow us to meet our legal requirements, but we are doing this even though we do not yet know what our final financial settlement from Government will be.
“We are still waiting for the announcement on what our share will be in this year’s local government settlement and the detail of their proposed fair funding review.
“Based on early information, the review is likely to lead to significant reductions in our funding as the proposed new formula will strongly disadvantage sparse, rural areas like Westmorland and Furness.
“This means we are likely to face significant funding cuts at the same time as seeing increasing demand for our services and continued inflationary pressure.
“We recognise that the increasing cost of living continues to have a huge impact on many of our residents, so our recommendations in this year’s budget consultation have not been taken lightly.”
| Band | Estimated council tax 2026/27 |
|---|---|
| Band A (up to 40,000) | £1,343.14 |
| Band B (40,001 to 52,000) | £1,567.02 |
| Band C (52,001 to 68,000) | £1,790.87 |
| Band D (68,001 to 88,000) | £2,014.73 |
| Band E (88,001 to 120,000) | £2,462.44 |
| Band F (120,001 to 160,000) | £2,910.15 |
| Band G (160,001 to 320,000) | £3,357.86 |
| Band H (320,001 and over) | £4,029.45 |
Cllr Jarvis added: “As a council we want to reassure the public that we are looking at every aspect of how we run the council to identify ways in which we can be more efficient and effective, including using new technology to help drive savings and make every pound count.
“But with the likelihood of reduced funding and higher demand, it is becoming even more of a challenge to deliver a balanced budget. In that context, we feel we have no option but to propose the measures included within this consultation.”
Westmorland and Furness Council said it was facing difficult financial challenges.
The consultation document is now available at westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/budget and will run until January 16.
Feedback from the public consultation will be considered by cabinet and then go to full council on February 26 with recommendations, presented alongside the budget and medium term financial plan.
